‘UNACCEPTABLE’
On Sunday, Putin proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey, but he spurned a challenge from Zelenskyy to meet in person, instead sending a team of mid-ranking officials to the talks.
The Istanbul talks ended after less than two hours, with no apparent sign of progress so far in narrowing the gap between the sides, and a Ukrainian source called Moscow’s demands “non-starters”.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had said earlier in the day that Putin had “made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation” to Istanbul.
“What we saw yesterday and overnight is yet more evidence that Putin is not serious about peace,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
Starmer and the leaders of France, Germany and Poland agreed with Zelenskyy in Tirana that Russia’s position in peace talks was “clearly unacceptable” and also consulted with Trump, Starmer said later in the day, adding that they were all closely coordinating their responses.
Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said that Europe must increase its defence capacities, adding that the region needs to work with the United States to end war in Ukraine.
“We have to undertake all efforts to keep the Americans on our side,” Merz said. “We cannot substitute or replace what the Americans still do for us on our continent.”
In an apparent bid by the summit host, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, for a bit of a lighter mood, at the start of the meeting the leaders were shown a cheeky video portraying them all as babies saying “Welcome to Albania”.
Source: CNA
